Sports
Westhampton Football: One Game Away From Championship
Hurricanes big win over Bellport sets up another home playoff game.
The Westhampton varsity football team has had one of its best seasons in school history this fall, going 6-2 during the regular season to ensure the Hurricanes a home playoff game in the opening round of the postseason. Westhampton gave its fans even more to cheer about after defeating Bellport 43-27 in the Division III quarterfinals despite trailing 14-13 at halftime.
Behind the exceptional running of Brendan Eckart and passing attack featuring quarterback Jack Murphy and receiver Brian Culhane, the Hurricanes (7-2 overall) outscored Bellport 30-13 over the final two quarters while showcasing one of the most potent offenses in Suffolk.
Eckart was a dominating force on the ground, rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns, including an eight-yard run in the third quarter and a five-yard run in the fourth to put Westhampton in front 36-27. When Eckart wasn’t punishing Bellport’s run defense, teammate Dan Gomez was doing his best to eat up yards, rushing for 53 yards on a game-high 14 carries. Gomez also kicked three extra-points. Running back Brian Curry added 22 yards rushing along with a touchdown.
Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Baysfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Hurricanes aerial attack was led by the strong arm of Murphy, who completed six of his eight pass attempts for 165 yards. Murphy connected with Culhane (113 yards receiving) on a 59-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and his 54-yard catch in the second half helped set up another Westhampton touchdown.
Culhane was also a standout on defense, intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter and returning the ball 13 yards for a touchdown. Brandon Maloney, the Hurricanes starting safety, led all players with eight tackles and Connor Raynor chipped in with six tackles and a sack. Other Westhampton interceptions were recorded by Brian Corrigan and Michael Crennan.
Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Baysfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The win advanced #2 seed Westhampton into one of the two Suffolk Division III semifinals, which will be played Friday night at 6:30 p.m. as the Hurricanes host #4 seed Islip. Westhampton lost a close game to Islip 27-20 earlier this season on October 14 at Islip when Islip snapped a 20-20 tie with one minute remaining in the fourth quarter. A win over Islip would propel Westhampton to the Division III championship game on Sunday November 20 at Stony Brook University.
